PA/MPH

Program Overview

Accepted applicants to Northeastern’s Physician Assistant Program have the opportunity to pursue a joint degree, the PA/MPH, which is offered by Physician Assistant Studies Program in conjunction with the Master of Public Health in Urban Health Program. Enrolling in the PA/MPH Program allows these students to earn two degrees in a shorter amount of time than it would to earn them separately, saving time and money, while broadening one’s clinical tool kit to give it a population health-based perspective.

Earn two advanced degrees at once

Expand your clinical and professional tool kit

Broaden your academic training to include an urban public health perspective

Curriculum

Students enrolled in the dual degree program take classes that meet the curriculum requirements for both an MS in Physician Assistant Studies and an MPH. The dual degree is structured to give students maximum flexibility while incorporating an urban health framework to complement their PA studies.

PA/MPH students begin their program by taking the majority of their MPH coursework online from January to mid-August before coming to campus at the end of August to begin their PA coursework. During the two years of the PA program, they complete the remainder of their MPH coursework concurrently so that when they graduate, they are awarded their MPH at the same time as their MS in Physician Studies. Please see the sample course map below for more information.

* The sequencing of Applied Study courses varies for each student.
§ Mandatory out of classroom experiences accompany these course requirements. Please see the MPH Program page for more information.

Students in the PA/MPH Program are able to save approximately 12 credits’ worth of tuition and a year of coursework by completing the two degrees at the same time. Please note that students in the PA/MPH Program are not eligible for any merit-based scholarships from the MPH Program, including the Double Husky Scholarship.

All PA/MPH graduates will fulfill the same competencies that guide the MPH program. To learn more about the curriculum requirements for the PA Program and MPH degrees, please visit those programs’ pages for more information.

Admissions

In order to be considered for the PA/MPH Program, interested applicants must complete and submit a CASPA application by August 1st, along with the Northeastern Data Sheet and $75 application fee (made payable to Northeastern University), according to the same process that is outlined on the PA Program’s webpage at https://bouve.northeastern.edu/physician-assistant/ms/admissions-tuition/ under the “How to Apply” tab. In addition to the application requirements outlined there, those applicants who would like to be considered for the dual degree must include an MPH personal statement that addresses the following questions:

What are your current physician assistant and public health-related career goals?

How will a master’s degree in public health (specifically urban health) help you attain your career goals?

The personal statement is included in the dual degree option in the CASPA application and can include any other information you feel might be useful to the Admissions Committee.***Please note that the personal statement for dual degree PA/MPH program must be completed in addition to the CASPA personal statement and the Northeastern-specific essay.***

Your application must be submitted to CASPA by August 1st and verified by CASPA and sent to the PA Program by August 31st. Admissions decisions will be rendered in October. You must be offered admission to the PA Program first and then your application for the dual degree program will be considered by the MPH Admissions Committee. Additional information about the PA/MPH option can be found on the FAQ page of the PA Program website at https://bouve.northeastern.edu/physician-assistant/ms/faqs/.

If an applicant is not offered admission into the dual PA/MPH Program, but is still interested in pursuing the stand alone MPH degree, he or she must apply according to the admissions process outlined on the MPH Program’s page.